To start off a new school year, it’s important to upload a Direct Certification list to establish statuses for students who should be classified as a free eligibility.
The Direct Certification Process is set up and performed in MCS Franklin.
Direct Certification file specifications can change depending on the State where you live. Please refer to the appropriate Direct Certification Plugin for your State.
Establish DC Priority
Some states prefer certain Direct Certification (DC) sources over another. If a student has multiple DC sources, you have the ability to set priority so that the preferred source is applied.
From MCS Franklin, navigate to Admin & Maintenance > System Settings. Select the Direct Certification tab to configure DC Priorities.
Perform a DC Override
Performing Overrides allows you to manually control student eligibility for Direct Certification, Special Circumstances, and Status Overrides when special cases exist.
From MCS Franklin, navigate to Admin & Maintenance > System Settings. Select the Direct Certification tab to configure Status Overrides.
Override Doc - Documentation - Need stronger understanding
Override What It Does School Type Overrides the DC Free status with the School Type status. e.g. Disaster Relief will take precedence over DC status Decline Benefits Overrides the DC Free status when benefits have been declined. Free Special Circumstances Overrides the DC Free status with one of the free Special Circumstances/user-defined special circumstances except for SS: Declining Benefits. Declining benefits will always override DC Free. Reduced/Paying Special Circumstances Overrides the DC Free status with one of the reduced/paying Special Circumstances/user-defined special circumstances except for SS: Declining Benefits. Declining benefits will always override DC Free. Override What It Does School Type Overrides the DC Reduced status with the School Type status. e.g. Disaster Relief will take precedence over DC status Decline Benefits Overrides the DC Reduced status when benefits have been declined. Free Special Circumstances Overrides the DC Reduced status with one of the free Special Circumstances/user-defined special circumstances except for SS: Declining Benefits. Declining benefits will always override DC Free. Reduced Special Circumstances Overrides the DC Reduced status with one of the reduced Special Circumstances/user-defined special circumstances except for SS: Declining Benefits. Declining benefits will always override DC Free. Paying Special Circumstances Overrides the DC Reduced status with one of the paying Special Circumstances/user-defined special circumstances except for SS: Declining Benefits. Declining benefits will always override DC Free. Free Application Overrides the DC Reduced status if a "Free Application" status exists. Temporary Free Status Overrides the DC Reduced status if a "Temporary Free Status" exists. Queue DC Letters - Select this option to queue Direct Certification Approval Letters at time of approval.
Enable Multi-Child DC Letters - Groups all children residing in a Direct Certification household into one household letter versus separate letters for each child.
Require DC Source - If enabled, the system will require a DC Source when importing the DC File and when manually editing a student record as Direct Certification.
State Match Field - Use the drop-down menu to select the field to be used for a State DC Match (Student Number (Exact), Student Number (Numeric), SIS Data (Exact), SIS Data (Numeric), Student SSN, SIS Key).
Free DC Overrides - Place a checkmark in the box to determine when to override Free DC statuses.
Reduced DC Overrides - Place a checkmark in the box to determine when to override Reduced DC statuses.
For override types and further instructions, please expand the section below.
Direct Certification
Select Direct Certification from the ribbon.
Select which Direct Certification evidence type you are using to perform the override and complete the necessary steps. Then, click Ok.
DC File/Direct Verification - If a student is contained in the Direct Certification file, selecting this will detach the file from the student. To link a student, use the Direct Certification utility.
Supporting Documentation - Select to attach supporting documentation to this record. Then, click Ok. Only one piece of documentation can be added for Supporting Documentation. Any attempt at adding another piece of documentation will lead to a prompt to remove the current document link from the student.
Search for an existing document attached in the system or add a new document.
Enter a document that has been previously scanned - Enter a Tag or Date Range in the Search for Document section and then click Refresh. Highlight the correct document and select Ok to attach.
Add a new document - Select Add New to scan in a new supporting document. Follow the same procedures as you would when using Add Supporting Document. For more information on how to Add Supporting Document, click the link.
Link to Sibling (see section below)
SIS System/DataCenter - This Direct Certification evidence is controlled by your Student Information System. In order to change the evidence, you must first change the student information system override flags for this student to override Direct Certification.
Manual/Other Evidence - Select to enter a description of Manual/Other DC evidence.
Backdating DC Matches
You may need to backdate a batch of student eligibility statuses if you need to change the effective start date for a DC match file. Your district has the option to enable or disable this function.
Enable/Disable DC Status Backdating
From MCS Franklin, navigate to Admin & Maintenance > System Settings. Select the Direct Certification tab to enable the ability to set a DC status to a previous start date. This option is enabled by default.
Perform DC Status Backdating
From MCS Franklin, navigate to Utilities > Direct Certification > Import File.
Needs Screenshots, Documentation
If you perform a DC backdate, a record will be available if you perform a Meal Eligibility Correction later.
Extend DC Status to Siblings
Manual Household Matching
Expand ‘Link to Sibling’ Section
Documentation here?
Page needs updating
Household Matching
Section Needed - Nora clean up article & create excerpt
If the SIS has a field hat links students to a household (like a Family ID), this can be pulled into Franklin to more easily identify the matches and extend benefits.